BEIRUT: Lebanon’s MPs will try on Wednesday for the 12th time to elect a successor to Michel Aoun whose presidential term ended in October. Former ministers Suleiman Frangieh and Jihad Azour officially announced their candidacy for the presidency two days prior to the 12th scheduled parliamentary voting session. The Maronite Patriarchate has declared that it remains “equidistant from all candidates.”
Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib announced on Monday that Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French envoy tasked with Lebanese affairs, will arrive in Beirut next week to initiate consultations regarding the presidential issue.
Sunni MPs — which number 27 out of 128 MPs — are not expected to play a decisive role as their votes are divided between candidates, with Azour’s camp, including the Christian blocs, opposing Hezbollah. –Agencies
